There it was Wednesday. There was the answer that turns Steve Ross into a great owner, one celebrated by fans, one toasted by media, one not linked with a smirk anymore to Jim Harbaugh, and one who gets saluted for smartly backing Jeff Ireland.

Ross stood on the practice sideline, stood in the August sun, when it played out before him. He had just spent 20 minutes with the media saying very little in a very nice way, which shows he's learned it's not beneficial for a sports owner to talk like an adult in public.

When he once said he "hoped" Chad Henne became Dan Marino that got twisted into him equating the two. When he once said during a coaching search he wanted to find, "the next Don Shula," that was twisted into him saying he would.

And when he predicted playoffs for the Dolphins last year, because, well, that's what owners do? ...

he's learned to curb his public words and qualify his hopes to the point a billionaire with a personality, the owner who wrote $110 million in guaranteed free-agent checks this off-season, said little of interest Wednesday for the first time ever. ...

Tannehill threw a perfect pass. Wallace made the touchdown catch. ...

But that pass, ..., is the first answer to what the Dolphins need and how Ross becomes a good owner. ...

"In pro football, it starts and you need to have a great quarterback," Ross said in his news conference. "We believe and hope we selected the quarterback. ...

What else can he do? Besides what he did after Tannehill threw that touchdown to Wallace. He nodded. It's August. September is coming.